LINCOLN, NEB. – No. 5 seed Georgia Tech volleyball (24-7, 13-4 ACC) saw its season come to a close, dropping a three-set match to No. 1 Nebraska (31-1, 19-1 Big Ten) 25-11, 25-16, 25-21, inside Bob Devaney Sports Center. Junior outside hitter Bianca Bertolino recorded her 1,000th career dig in the match as the Jackets finished tied for the second farthest NCAA Tournament run in program history.
QUICK HITS
- The Jackets are now to 16-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament matches and 7-4 in the Michelle Collier era, the highest winning percentage of any Georgia Tech coach.
- Tech ends its tournament run in the Regional semifinals, tied with 2004 for the second farthest NCAA Tournament run in program history.
- In the past three seasons, Michelle Collier has matched the program records for the best (Regional Finals in 2003) and 2nd best (Regional Semifinals in 2004) NCAA Tournament results.
- Senior outside hitter Tamara Otene surpassed 400 kills for the season. Georgia Tech has had at least one 400 kill hitter in each of the previous eight full seasons (excluding the shortened 2020-21 season), joining USC, Purdue and Stanford as the only programs to have done so.
- Senior Paola Pimentel delivered 11 digs today. She made at least 10 digs in all three of her NCAA Tournament matches this year.
- Pimentel finished the season with 473 digs, the most by any Jacket since 2016 (Ackermann – 570). Her 473 digs is the 11th most in a single season in program history and the fifth most in the modern scoring era.
- Freshman setter Heloise Soares made two service aces today. Two of her three multi-ace matches have come in this NCAA Tournament – set a season-best with three aces in the 1st Round vs. South Alabama.
VB at Nebraska (Steve Branscombe)
Set By Set
Set 1 (NEB, 25-11): The opening set was one to forget as the Jackets struggled to establish themselves offensively. The Cornhuskers jumped in front, 8-2, and never looked back, riding the momentum from their home crowd to a 14-point victory.
Set 2 (NEB, 25-16): Another slow start allowed the Huskers to take a 6-1 lead, but this time, Tech responded, winning four of the next six points to cut the deficit to just three, 8-5. Tech kept the set within three to four points, until a late 3-0 Nebraska run ballooned the lead to 21-14, a mountain too difficult to climb.
Set 3 (NEB, 25-21): Tech showed its mettle in the third, forcing seven different lead changes and 15 ties in a back and forth battle. Neither side led by more than two points until another late Nebraska run turned a 18-19 Tech lead into a 23-19 deficit. The Jackets fought off two match points before succumbing to the No. 1 overall seed by four. The Jackets switched to a 5-1 rotation in the third as Soares set throughout play. Tech had an emphasis on the middle in the third as Soares set up DeAndra Pierce and Anna Boezi for five combined kills on .444 hitting. Bertolino and Pimentel shouldered the defensive load, as each tallied six digs in the third set, more than any individual Husker in the final frame.
Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2
Looking to build on the success of last year’s Competitive Drive Initiative, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation and Georgia Tech athletics are partnering once again to launch Competitive Drive Initiative Turn 2. CDI Turn 2 has a goal of raising $2.5 million in new gifts to the Alexander-Tharpe Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund by Dec. 31, and Georgia Tech and the Georgia Tech Foundation will match eligible gifts to accelerate the impact for Tech athletics. Like last year, not only will gifts to CDI Turn 2 be matched, but so will the contributor’s benefits in the way of A-T Fund giving levels and priority points. To learn more and contribute online, visit atfund.org/turn2.
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